Theocratic State of Canterbury
The Theocratic State of Canterbury, often just called Canterbury, is a small nation-state that formed in the south-east of England. When the United Kingdom was still functional, Canterbury was the headquarters of the Church of England, the state religion of the United Kingdom. The Church of England was headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. History Canterbury was formed by the archbishop John Porter not long after the collapse of the United Kingdom. Porter was an anti-robotics activist well before the collapse and The Great Purge even to the point where people believed he was a secret member of Sentience. Before The Great Purge, created a political party called the Anti-Robotics League which aimed to get robots and drones removed from the United Kingdom and make them illegal. While many people dismissed his attempts, it is believed he amassed a group of around ten-thousand people to his cause. When The Great Purge and the collapse finally hit, Porter said that it was an act of God for humanity being so reckless with technology. Many more people began flocking to Porter's cause seeking forgiveness and to try and repent for their sins against God. The number of people following him grew to well over a hundred thousand people, so Porter decided to form a new nation with his followers as its citizens. In 2080, the group settled in an area outside of Canterbury, which was now underwater, and called it New Canterbury. The settlers soon expanded to the borders that we see in 2135. Geography Canterbury is located on two islands that have formed in the south-east of Great Britain which have been named Adam and Eve. The first archbishop, John Porter, chose the name for the two islands after the early humans described in the Bible. Canterbury also occupies several islands surrounding Adam and Eve, although not many people live on these islands. The nation is cut off from the mainland in the West, which is where their neighbour (???) is located. Canterbury is mainly flat land which is why much of the area is used for farming and animal raising. There is a large hill running through both islands which is the remnants of the Kent Downs. Along with the extensive farmlands, there is also a significant fishing industry due to the sea access that Canterbury has. People and Society The people from Canterbury are usually referred to by outsiders as Canterbytes. Neary all Canterbytes are ex-British citizens that used to live in the south-east of England. There are a small number of people who are from other parts of England and Scotland who travelled south to join Porter's group before Canterbury's establishment. All members of society are treated equally by the state and by most members of the community. The state religion of Canterbury is Christianity. Formally known as the Anglican Communion, New Canterbury is the location of Canterbury Cathedral which is the head of the Anglican Communion. All members of Canterbury also have to be members of the Anglican Communion, which means they must attend all sessions run at their local church. In 2135 there are approximately two-hundred thousand citizens of Canterbury with most of them being middle-aged adults. There is a strong sense of the family unit in Canterbury with new couples encouraged to have large, healthy families to help the nation grow. Government Canterbury is a theocratic dictatorship meaning that the head of the states religion is also the head of state. In this case, the Archbishop of Canterbury is also the head of state of Canterbury. The capital of Canterbury is New Canterbury which is the location of the countries government. Citizenship is granted to any person who follows the state religion. While this in the past has been abused as many people would say they support the faith to get in, nowadays new measures have been put into place to make sure those members are faithful to the agreements they made. It is still believed, however, that some members have only joined the religion to gain the safety that the county provides and do not believe in the faith. The archbishop heads Canterbury's government. The archbishop also acts as head of state. The government is made up of 12 elected bishops known as the Council of Bishops which is headed by the archbishop. The council forms the legislative branch of government that debates laws. The priests (who must be appointed by the archbishop) elect the bishops from their ranks and serve the position for life. While they can propose bills to put into place, the archbishop has the power to remove laws and even dismiss members or the whole council at any time for any reason The executive branch of government consists only of the archbishop who signs bills into practice. The archbishop has supreme power over the government and can dismiss any laws or bills that he is given. The national anthem of Canterbury is "Amazing Grace". With the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, "Amazing Grace" was one of the most recognisable songs in the English-speaking world. It was adopted as the anthem not long after the establishment of the country and continues to be sung during national events and weekly services. Economy Canterbury's economy is self-sufficient with there being very little interaction with its neighbours or other outside nations. Most people have a good quality of life and have everything they need. Agriculture and fishing are the largest industries in the country. Citizens believe the industrialisation of the world is what caused its downfall, so most people live off of the land, and very little is mass-produced. The abundance of fish gathered by the nation means that fish is the only export of Canterbury. This trade is usually made with smaller villages on Canterbury's borders and not to larger groups or nations nearby. The is a primary tactic Cantebury has used in the past to gain more citizens and expand its boundaries. All adult citizens (in this case, people aged 16+) are required by law to work unless they have an issue making work impossible or impractical. Most people work in the agriculture and fishing industries. Those remaining work in retail, law enforcement or for the states small military force. Military and Security Canterbury's military, called "Christ's Army", is split into three branches: the army, the militia and the navy. The army is the permanent standing army of Canterbury of roughly 500 full members and several motorised units. The navy is the smallest branch which has several small vessels whose primary task is the defence of the nations fishing industry. The militia is the largest branch of the army but has no permanent members. Any citizen can sign up for the militia and can, therefore, be called up to defend the nation at any time. Members of the militia keep their typical jobs in the meantime.